One of America’s most wanted fugitives has been found hiding in plain sight after nearly two decades on the run.
Antonio ‘El Diablo’ Riano, 72, was arrested on Thursday in Zapotitlan Palmas, bringing an end to a 20-year manhunt during which he was featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted.’
The fugitive was found working as a police officer in his hometown in Mexico – and told reporters he wanted to ‘help the people of Mexico.’
The Oaxaca, Mexico native was charged with first-degree murder stemming from a 2004 shooting, where he is accused of killing 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra in an Ohio bar.
He was accused of gunning down Becarra at the Round House Bar in Hamilton, Ohio, following a brief argument.
Antonio ‘El Diablo’ Riano, 72, was arrested on Thursday in Zapotitlan Palmas, bringing an end to a 20-year manhunt during which he was featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted’
The fugitive was found working as a police officer in his hometown in Mexico – and told reporters he wanted to ‘help the people of Mexico’
According to witnesses, he shot Becarra point-blank in the face before fleeing the scene.
He was identified when police discovered he had purchased ammunition at Walmart just 45 minutes before the shooting.
When police searched Riano’s home, they discovered a trove of false identities and the murder weapon – a Smith & Wesson .38 with two spent rounds.
But before justice could be served, ‘El Diablo’ vanished into thin air.
For two decades, he managed to outrun the law, even as his face was broadcast to millions on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ in 2005.
But the law has finally caught up with Riano.
‘When Riano was arrested in Mexico he was found to be working as a local police officer,’ the US Marshals Service said in a news release.
The Oaxaca, Mexico native was charged with first-degree murder stemming from a 2004 shooting, where he is accused of murdering 25-year-old Benjamin Becarra in an Ohio bar
Riano was handed over to US Marshals in Mexico City and flown to Cincinnati.
Video footage captured Riano being taken into custody at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport.
When he was asked why he had become a police officer, Riano replied in Spanish to WKRC-TV: ‘I wanted to help the people of Mexico.’
When asked if he killed Becerra, he said: ‘No, I did not.’
Michael T. Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor, praised the joint effort.
Riano was handed over to US Marshals in Mexico City and flown to Cincinnati
‘This type of apprehension would not be possible without the cooperation and due diligence of both the Prosecutor’s Office investigators, the United States Marshal Service, and the United States Department of Justice,’ Gmoser said.
‘The United States Marshal Service, through our violent fugitive task forces, assists our state and local law enforcement partners to apprehend the area’s most dangerous fugitives,’ said Michael D. Black, US Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio.
‘This arrest is the result of the ongoing sharing of information between the agencies and the determination of the investigators who refused to give up on this case,’ Black added.
